 |
| At the Mezquita |
 |
| Cordoba |
Showing posts with label Cordoba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cordoba. Show all posts
Friday, February 18, 2011
Cordoba in Pictures
My internet is finally back to normal (for a few days at least) so I can post some pictures of my trip to Cordoba.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Cordoba
This weekend I went to Cordoba mainly to see the Mezquita. I definitely could have visited everything in one day, but I had already bought my train ticket and booked two nights in my hostel. On Friday afternoon I decided to go explore La Juderia, the Jewish quarter. I went to the Synagogue which is one of only three synagogues in Spain. The other two are in Toledo and I visited one of them when I went with my highschool the first time I came to Spain. It was quite small and only one room and slightly less impressive than what I thought it would be. I vaguely remember the synagogue in Toledo and that's the only time I've ever been inside of one. Plus, I'm not sure the one in Toledo is even used and the one in Cordoba surely isn't. One cool thing about the synagogue in Cordoba was it had Hebrew verses engraved on the walls. As I was leaving and walking down the street I heard two Australian guys discussing when the Muslims, Jews, and Christians all lived in Spain and trying to straighten out the history. I kind of smiled as they tried to figure it out and then they turned around and asked me if I knew. So we stopped and I gave them a brief history of when the Muslims came and how the Muslims and Jews were expulsed.
After my brief history lesson I went to this museum that is known for making paper, although it wasn't really too interesting, but it gave me something to do. Then I went to another museum that discussed Judaism in Cordoba. On Saturday morning I went to the Mezquita and I went early enough because my hostel told me that if you go between 8:30 and 10:30 it was free. I got there around 9:50 and still had to pay eight euros, even though I saw a sign that said it was free until ten. Oh well, it was well worth the money.
The Mequita was originally a Cathedral, but when the Muslims lived here it was turned into a mosque and it's probably most famous for that. It was eventually converted back into a Cathedral, but you can see the Islamic influence still. The mihrab, the place where the imam (leader) leads prayer from is still there. Normally a mihrab faces Mecca, but the one in Cordoba doesn't and historians have yet to figure out why not. The most amazing thing about the Mezquita though is the arched columns that are painted white and orange. The inside is so much larger than I thought and the columns go all throughout and it was just amazing. This alone was worth the visit! I'll post pictures later when my internet is back to its normal speed.
One thing I noticed in Cordoba was there were hoardes of Americans there, especially students. I think the new school semester is starting since I met a German and French girl who were both there about ready to start school. Americans are easy to spot and I can be feet away and not even have to hear us speaking to be able to tell. We travel in packs and there's just this air about us that says "oh, they're an American". Maybe we have an air of confidence about us, afterall I did read that we were the "most confident" country - not too surprising there, but it's just easy to tell. And let's not forget the Asians. They always travel in large packs, always have their cameras, and the younger ones always pose with the peace sign. Let's just hope that when they travel to the UK they don't throw up the peace sign.
After my brief history lesson I went to this museum that is known for making paper, although it wasn't really too interesting, but it gave me something to do. Then I went to another museum that discussed Judaism in Cordoba. On Saturday morning I went to the Mezquita and I went early enough because my hostel told me that if you go between 8:30 and 10:30 it was free. I got there around 9:50 and still had to pay eight euros, even though I saw a sign that said it was free until ten. Oh well, it was well worth the money.
The Mequita was originally a Cathedral, but when the Muslims lived here it was turned into a mosque and it's probably most famous for that. It was eventually converted back into a Cathedral, but you can see the Islamic influence still. The mihrab, the place where the imam (leader) leads prayer from is still there. Normally a mihrab faces Mecca, but the one in Cordoba doesn't and historians have yet to figure out why not. The most amazing thing about the Mezquita though is the arched columns that are painted white and orange. The inside is so much larger than I thought and the columns go all throughout and it was just amazing. This alone was worth the visit! I'll post pictures later when my internet is back to its normal speed.
One thing I noticed in Cordoba was there were hoardes of Americans there, especially students. I think the new school semester is starting since I met a German and French girl who were both there about ready to start school. Americans are easy to spot and I can be feet away and not even have to hear us speaking to be able to tell. We travel in packs and there's just this air about us that says "oh, they're an American". Maybe we have an air of confidence about us, afterall I did read that we were the "most confident" country - not too surprising there, but it's just easy to tell. And let's not forget the Asians. They always travel in large packs, always have their cameras, and the younger ones always pose with the peace sign. Let's just hope that when they travel to the UK they don't throw up the peace sign.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)